Page 35 of Queen of Ever

‘I’m sorry, Imogen,’ I said.‘For what happened that day.I know how it looks.I know it was my fault that you ran.But I swear to you that I never meant to betray you.I went to the Unseelie Palace that day to declare my pledge to you and I let you down, but it was because I was stupid, not because I was cruel.’

She sighed, shaking her head.‘You’d say anything to pull me in.But let’s not forget that I’ve heard nothing from you since that day.Not a letter, not a message passed through someone else, not a whisper that you’d been trying to reach me.You’ve been happy enough to let me slip out of your life where I can’t inconvenience you anymore, and you did that without feeling the need to make any apologies for what happened between us.’

Tears began to fill her eyes as she spoke, and I felt as though she was tearing at my heart with her bare hands.How could I explain to her?How could I fix this?

‘Imogen?’The voice of an intruder drew both our attention, and Imogen took a step back, inhaling sharply.The woman she’d been standing with when I found her was peering through the opening in the stone, one hand resting on the wall.‘Are you alright?’She shot a look at me, and while her mask clouded my ability to tell who she was, I could take a guess that it was Princess Marietta.

‘I’m fine.Sorry, I should have told you where I was going,’ Imogen replied, quickly tying her mask back onto her face, slipping out of clarity again.

‘Maybe you should come back to the feast,’ Marietta said.

But I’d only just found her.I wasn’t letting her get away again that quickly.‘We need a few minutes.’

The princess seemed unconvinced, raising her brows at Imogen.

‘We’re here under truce,’ I said impatiently.‘It’s not like I’m going to hurt her.’

‘Maybe not physically,’ Marietta replied, a protective edge to her tone.‘In any case, Solas is looking for her.’

‘Actually, I have something to say to him,’ Imogen said, drawing herself up, hands balling into fists.‘Where is he?’

Marietta softened a little, seeming relieved.‘I’ll show you,’ she said, ducking back through the wall.But before Imogen could follow her, I caught her hand again, held her in place.

‘I’ve left you alone because I’ve been told numerous times that being rash and possessive isn’t… endearing.I’ve been trying really hard to keep from overstepping and making this difficult for you,’ I said, ‘but I’m reaching my limits.Stay.Please.’

For a moment, it seemed like she would.But she blew out a breath, stirring the loose strands of hair around her face, and shook her head.‘This is not the moment.I’m not having Solas march out here and the two of you using me as an excuse to throw punches or magic or whatever else you do in a fight.If you really want to talk to me, you’ll keep from turning me into some kind of political showdown and find me when we can actually talk in private.’Again, she extracted her hand from mine, nothing but a sharp inhale that sounded almost like a sob betraying that she was anything but resolved.

‘You’re not an excuse to pick a fight with Solas.’

‘Then prove it.’She made to leave.Paused, turning back.‘I’m glad you’re okay,’ she said, softer now.And then she was walking away from me, and I was letting her, because fuck it all if she hadn’t basically bidden me behave myself if I wanted to prove I was serious in trying to fix what had been broken between us.I only took a few moments to wipe the emotion off my face and compose myself, but by the time I followed her, she was already out of sight.

Chapter 14

Imogen

Ihadn’treallyexpectedto find Tarian at the feast.Sure, I’d been looking for him, I just couldn’t seem to help myself.But it had been so chaotic and disorientating, with the magic masks, the many rooms and winding hallways and the sheer intensity of the decaying setting, that I’d lost any certainty that I would early on.Especially when I wasn’t even sure he’d want me to find him.Maybe his plan was to avoid me the whole time we were here.

But as soon as I’d seen that silver ribbon on his wrist, I knew Ethan had a hand in our meeting.Which just made everything even more confusing.Because Ethan seemed to be more than pushing me to confront him if he was interfering to that level.Ethan would never push me into something he thought was bad for me.

And now.Now,I felt like I’d been completely upended.I’d wanted closure, butthathad been nothing of the sort.That had been a blasting open of anything that had been trying to close.

With difficulty, I turned the tide of my thoughts.I had something else to focus on now, something I could let my anger grab hold of.

‘Why didn’t you tell me everyone thinks I’m engaged to Solas?’I hissed at Marietta, hoping no one else would hear us as she led me through the throngs of fae, the revelry now in full swing as the courts drank and danced with an abandon that could only come from complete anonymity.

Solas wasn’t what I most wanted to think about in that moment, and I was well aware that I was using my anger at him like a lifeline to keep me from drowning in the wave of emotions Tarian had just doused me with.

You can call me whatever you want, as long as you’re still mine.

And damn him if those words hadn’t set my soul on fire.If Marietta had shown up any later, I didn’t know what she would have walked in on.But I suspected I would have been in his arms.I needed to be stronger than that.Because I didn’t trust him, and until I knew otherwise, nothing had changed.Maybe I was a coward for running away again but staying would have been far too dangerous.

But god, being so close to him, so close I could smell him and feel the heat of his fingers on my wrist, made me think of other places he’d touched me, places I craved to feel that touch again.It made me think of teeth on heated skin, a wicked smile, dark eyes looking up at me from between my thighs.It made my heart ache from wanting.

I swallowed hard, trying to push those memories away, trying to focus on my anger at Solas so I didn’t turn around and go back to Tarian to finish what he’d started.

‘I’m sorry,’ Marietta said, her mouth turning down as guilt twisted her mouth.‘I didn’t know he was planning to call you up second, and I just...I didn’t know how to tell you after.’

I suppose it would have been awkward to pull me aside after the ceremony and say,hey, by the way, everyone thinks you’re engaged.Mazel tov.

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